Means for keeping individual balances in book accounts, &amp;c.



UNITED STATES Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON M. WVHEELER, OF DEADVVOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of -Letters Patent No. 790,944, dated May 30,1905.

Application filed December 29, 1903, Serial No. 187,068.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MILTON M. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Deadwood, in the county of Lawrence and State of SouthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means forKeeping Individual Balances in Book Accounts, &c.; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

The invention relates to an improved means for keeping individualbalances in book accounts, and has for its object a system employingmeans that will permit thedaily individual balances taken in connectionwith an adding-machine to be quickly placed in alphabetical arrangementand in condensed form, so as to be adapted for easy and ready reference.1

For this purpose the invention consists of means for keeping individualbalances of accounts, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a sheet or specimen page of a book of accountsembodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents an amount-slip of dailyindividual balances, the figures on the right thereof showing balancesof a previous day and those on the left the changes in the balances.Fig. 3 represents a cross-section of the sheet shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters indicate like parts in the several figures.

In the drawings, A designates a sheet or page of the book employed inkeeping the daily individual balances and of which sheets there may beas many as is necessary to contain the names of the persons havingaccounts to be kept. Each sheet is formed of two pieces or strips 0 andI), of tin or other suitable material, having inturned edges,constituting the grooves (Z and e of the piece a and the grooves 0 and fof the piece 6, respectively. The said pieces a and b are rigidlysecured together along one side of each in any suitable manner, such assoldering, so as to form practically a single sheet having on one sidethereof a raised-intermediate and side portions integral therewithforming two channels E and F. In the wider one, E, of said channels isdetachably held a name-strip B, of ruled paper or cardboard, havingthereon arranged in alphabetical order the names of the parties inaccount, while within the other channel, F, is placed an amount-stripcontaining the account of the individual balances arranged so as toappear in linewith the proper name on the other strip. The channels oropen spaces E and F are open at each of their ends, having no raisedportions at said ends. Each of the strips can be held in place againstaccidental displacement by means of a springclip g of any well-knownconstruction, one only of said clips being shown; but one may be used,if desired, to hold the same strip B in place. These sheets may besecured together in book form, if so desired, either by attaching thesheets to cardboard backs or making the sheets of aluminium and bindingthem along the edges or in any suitable manner; but as such binding per.96 forms no part of this invention, not afiecting the system or planherein set forth, any illustration of the same is not deemed necessary.

The manner of using the sheet A, namestrip B, and amount-strips D and Cis as follows: The strip D contains the individual balances of therespective parties as they were of a previous daythat is, the figuresalong the right on that strip were the balances in the bank of the saiddifferent parties on said previous day. When a persons checks anddeposits are entered in his account in the banks ledger and a balancebrought forward, his new balance is placed on this strip with a penz'.

a, in ink-alongside of the old one, which is in type-written figures,and a pen drawn through the old balance. This, it will be noticed, hasbeen done in the balances of Ayres & Co., A. B. Amsden, Arnold Bros, J.N. Barker, and T. C. Ballard. The other balances remaining the same arenot changed, except as to that of R. C. Barnard, whose account wasoverdrawn, and the overdraft is placed in red ink.

When the balances are taken off on an adding-machine and placed on thenew slip C, the lever is pulled without printing, so that a space isleft for an overdraft, which overd rafts are few, as a matter of course,and the said space or spaces are filled in by hand. Having made thechanges in the accounts that had entries, the book is taken over to theaddingmachine and all the credit-balances are taken off, each page beingtotaled by itself and the totals proved in the customary manner. Whenthis is done, the amount-strip D is pulled out and the new amount-stripC with the new balances is put in its place, sliding it in until theamounts are opposite or in line with the respective names. Then if thereis any excess of paper it is torn off even with the top and bottom ofthe sheet, the tin having an edge for easily cutting the paper. Thestrip is then secured in place by slipping a clip g over an end of thesame, and the overdrafts, if any, are inserted in red ink opposite theproper name. This action is repeated daily or as often as accounts arebalanced.

The thin cardboard for names is ruled to suit the spacing of whateveradding-machine may be employed, so that the amounts and names will be inalinement. The spacing in the drawings is the same as in a BurroughsRegistering Accountant, but the system may use any adding-machine.

When an account is dead and it is desired to run a new one in its place,the name of the new party is printed on a slip and the slip pasted overthe old one, as in the case of R. J. Beardsley. When many changes havebeen made, a new name-strip may replace the old one.

By having the figures on the strip 0 from the adding-machine in plain orprinted figures there is no difficulty in readily observing the same. Inthis plan there is no erasing by rubber, nor, as in some systems, isthere the necessity of removing a separate slip for each account, thustaking a great amount of time.

It will readily be understood from the foregoing description that boththe system and means employed are simple in character, in-

volving little time or expense, and are of great practical utility.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure and obtainby Letters Patent is 1. The herein-described means for keeping orindicating balances of individual accounts, consisting of one or moresheets of metal, each composed of two strips with inturned edges forminggrooves, said strips being rigidly connected along one side of each soas to form the single sheet with raised intermediate and side portionsforming channels, extending the length of said sheet and having openends without raised end portions; and strips of paper adapted to bedetachably held in said channels; said parts being combinedsubstantially as described.

2. The herein-described means for keeping or indicating balances ofindividual accounts, consisting of one or more sheets of metal, eachcomposed of two strips with inturned edges, said strips being rigidlyconnected together forming a single sheet with raised intel-mediate andside portions integral therewith having open spaces without raised endsbetween them; and strips of paper adapted to be placed in said openspaces, and clips for holding said strips of paper in place; said partsbeing combined substantially as described.

3. The herein-described means for keeping or indicating individualbalances of accounts consisting in a sheet of thin metal formed ofstrips having inturned edges, and having two channels in its face andprovided with a cutting end; and strips adapted to slidingly enter theends of said channels respectively, and clips for holding said strips inplace; said parts being combined substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILTON M. WHEELER.

Witnesses:

MADGE HARDING, J. R. HICKOX.

